There have only been five instances of a “three-peat” in NBA history, which occurs when a franchise wins a championship three years in a row. The latest team to accomplish this feat was the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000 to 2002.
The Lakers were dominant during this time, but they weren’t invincible, and there were a few occasions when their quest almost ended in failure. Devean George looked back on two of their tightest series and picked which team he believed presented a bigger challenge for L.A.
Devean picks between the 2000 Blazers and 2002 Kings
George came into the NBA and immediately won three titles in his first seasons with the Lakers. While L.A. was incredibly tough to beat, they were pushed to the brink in 2000 by the Portland Trail Blazers and in 2002 by the Sacramento Kings .
The Purple and Gold obviously would prevail in both of these series, but their three-peat could have easily been derailed if a few things didn’t go their way. Looking back on both of these playoff battles, George picked the Kings as the team that gave Los Angeles a tougher time.
“I would say the Kings,” Devean said on ' Forgotten Seasons .' “They had different threats. The Kings really had that ball movement, backdoor cuts, and shooting. You couldn’t pack it in because they all could shoot, so you had to get out there, but then you get out, and then they start running they elbow and pistol plays and start backdooring. They had big men that could pass, Vlade (Divac) and (Chris) Webber could pass.”
“And then the Blazers, they were just dogs. One-on-one players, just physical scoring…Every last one of them could just get downhill on you and give you 30,” George added.
The 2002 Kings could have prevented the Lakers three-peat
L.A.’s three-peat almost never got off the ground thanks to the Trail Blazers, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals to force a Game 7. They couldn’t complete the comeback, though, as the Lakers would win 89-84 to advance to the Finals.
In 2002, the Kings had series leads of 2-1 and 3-2, but they ultimately couldn’t put the Lakers away, losing Games 6 and 7 by a combined ten points. Add in their one-point loss in Game 4, and it’s evident L.A. barely managed to escape this battle alive.
As George notes, these two teams were very different. The Trail Blazers were outrageously physical and had several scorers who go off on any given night, while the Kings relied on ball movement and terrific shooting to give the Lakers fits.
Given how each series played out, it seemed like the Kings gave the Lakers the most trouble, and George agreed. Both squads were unlucky to come up short in their title quests, but Los Angeles was just that good, and they managed to squeak by both of them by the slimmest of margins.
Related: Devean George reveals the two opposing players who gave the Lakers the most problems during their three-peat
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